Ha Ha. Finally got rid of my writer's block. I just want to give a shout out to all the people who have reviewed and alerted my story. I'm new to the Trekky community and this is my first Star Trek fanfiction. The support has just been phenomenal. Thanks to all of you!!!

-Trekky17

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Where…where am I?

Drip. Screech. Whoosh.

What happened to me?

Marie opened her eyes to nothing but darkness. God, what was that noise? It was like a mix between water falling and something heavy being dragged across the room. There was a sharp pounding behind her eyes that was more painful than any hangover she'd ever experienced. What the hell happened, anyway?

She remembered Captain Kirk and Spock yelling orders. There was so much blood and screaming. Cadets Gurshman and Roberts were the worst off. Marie was going between them when…well, she couldn't exactly remember clearly. There was a hand that forced a disgusting substance into her mouth. She would have puked or maybe she did…the details of her capture were still fuzzy. The only thing she remembered was being carried here to this god-awful place. What next, she wondered?

The stench of disease and machinery hung thick in the air, filling her lungs with god only knows what kind of diseases. Several coughs turned spasms echoed off the walls. Though she tried to move, Marie found that ropes were secured around her wrists and ankles. Only her fingers and neck were granted freedom to move. More of the bindings kept her glued to this spot…wherever that may be.

"Hello," she called out. Silence was her answer. Marie chuckled to herself; she was an idiot to expect an answer.

"Is anybody there?"

Again, silence.

Ok. This was ridiculous. She tried to move but the tight bindings restricted her mobility almost to the point of pain. Her eyes widened when warm liquid spilled onto her wrists. Instead of wiggling more, Marie froze every part of her body. Damnit, she was a nurse and heaven forbid she died strapped to some table and bled to death.

A skitter, quiet enough that Marie questioned whether or not she'd even heard it, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight. Shivers thundered down her spine and through her body. Heaven and hell, where was she?

Almost as if answering her prayer, a loud whirr filled the chamber. Electrical energy cackled in the darkness until several objects burst into light. The process was fast and sent Marie's eyes recoiling shut. Even shut tight, Marie could still sense the headache forming under the bright light's stare. An indescribable heat tore into her face and neck. No matter where she turned, there was no relief…only pain.

When the opportunity became available, Marie dared the odds and slowly opened her eyes to find she was tied to an exam table of sorts. Bright lights were set up all around her so she couldn't see two feet in front of her. Squinting to try to see past the lights, she realized her captives had done much to ensure she wouldn't recognize her surroundings.

A figure emerged from the light. What words could describe the withered figure standing before her. His spine was bent outwards, creating a sort of convex shape against the red velvet cloak loosely draped over his shoulders. How could she describe the pure horror she now felt while looking into his gaze. Where normal eyes should have been, there were black orbs that occupied the entire socket. How could he see?

Silk covered arms hung short and close to his body, ending with withered hands from which extended yellowed claws instead of fingernails. Yellow and rust colored decay ate away at his scarred face and hands, the only skin not covered. She was sure the damage was greater underneath the expensive crimson and black velvet uniform he wore. He might have been captain if not for the commanding voice that came out from beyond her vision.

"Welcome back to the world of the conscious, Nurse Naya." His voice was gruff but soothing at the same time. She opened her mouth to speak but found her mouth completely dry. Her tired eyes refused to go more than halfway open.

"Do you know where you are, my dear?"

Marie closed her mouth, sealing her lips into a tight line. She'd had plenty of training for situations like these, though never in her wildest dreams did she think that she'd actually have to use it. Nonetheless, she would never betray her ship or her crew. She'd make the captain proud or die trying, though she had to admit that the thought of death made her stomach squirm. She was human after all; death scared even the best of them.

"Not a talker, huh?" The figure that had stepped into the light crossed the distance between them in two quick strides. Marie made a mental note of his speed and agility. His hand shot out and grasped the width of her short neck.

"Such a pretty neck…and so delicate. The men of the Enterprise must be drooling over the beauty that walks by them everyday. They have to be fools to choose another." Marie tried to gasp but found there was no air to breathe. Her lungs screamed at her, and her body convulsed against her bindings.

The voice in the background cleared his throat. "Jornst, do try to keep her alive."

"Yes, Captain Renolt." The figure, Jornst, released his hold on Marie's throat. She took in sharp gasps of air out of reflex, replaced quickly by a series of coughs. Her eyes searched for Jornst, anger spilling into the air. She was still able to keep her mind and so resealed her mouth.

Jornst's mouth curved into a smile. Even this action forced a wave of nausea throughout Marie's body. He brought up a hand to run his skeleton fingers through the greasy mass of curls falling into his eyes. The hair was pitch black and shinny, reflecting off the bright lights surrounding them like a lake under the sun's gaze. His mouth widened, revealing multiple rows of blackened teeth. A leathery appendage that Marie could only assume was his tongue darted out to moisten his cracked and bleeding lips. The creature lingered at the corner of his mouth as if to acknowledge her before retreating into its warm and musty cave.

"This doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, you could end this right now."

Again, she remained silent.

"Or…we can do it the hard way." Sighing, Jornst turned to look at someone beyond the lights. He smiled again, turning with an object held in the palm of his hand. Each footstep that he took echoed off the walls, which did nothing for Marie's nerves.

To make matters worse, the horrid man flicked his wrist. From the object, a shining blade swung into the air, its tip dripping with a green liquid. Under the bindings, Marie felt her skin crawl with an uneasy feeling.

Jornst made each step as slow as possible. He knew bringing the knife was a good idea. The moment the girl laid eyes on it, she couldn't keep her terrified gaze away. He smiled and knew he was going to have a lot of fun with this one. She was so young and innocent, still afraid of her own shadow. Jornst knew, unlike the others, she'd be easy to break. Soon he was upon her and her gaze would not leave the knife he held in his grasp. Excellent.

"You are a nurse. How well do you know human anatomy?"

Her gaze flashed to his eyes before returning to the knife.

"I'm practically an expert. I know the body inside and out. With just this knife, I have broken many men." He rose the blade high above his head, swinging it down with a sharp yell. Marie closed her eyes, ready to embrace whatever was to happen to her, but the pain never came. A sharp twang of metal on metal clanged loudly beside Marie's right ear. She opened her eyes to find Jornst leaning over her with the knife embedded into the table within an inch of her right ear.

Without another word, he brought up his free hand, pressing softly against her cheek. As delicate as a feather, his fingers traced thin lines down the side of her face and along her jaw. Marie had to admit that she didn't think such a creature capable of such a gentle touch. She closed her eyes, wishing she was back on the ship. Having her superiors order her around constantly was much preferable to this.

When she opened her eyes, Jornst was still looking straight into her eyes. His fingers formed a trap for her chin, which he used to keep her head still. He leaned forward, their noses nearly touching. Marie felt his other hand snake around her waist, pulling her closer.

"With just this hand," Jornst began while increasing his grip on her chin. "I have broken many women."

Marie couldn't help the small squeak that came from her throat. Jornst noticed and took delight in his effect on her. "But do not worry. There will be plenty of time for fun."

Jornst lifted himself off Marie, not releasing their eye contact until he was out of her sight. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness and to the scowling face of Captain Renolt. Without a word, he turned and left the interrogation room. Jornst nodded once to the guards before exiting with his captain.

Once she heard the doors open and shut, Marie allowed herself to show pain on her face. Her bright green eyes closed and her fists clenched at her sides. Tears began to form. Marie knew deep down this was only the beginning. Her nerves were already cracking under the pressure. Once it got worse, she didn't know what she'd do.

Jim Kirk's face flashed into her mind. In that moment, all of her fear and anxiety melted away. She had to be brave, had to survive. For the first time in her life, she turned to the Vulcan half inside of her in order to real in the thunderstorm of hormones and other stimuli raging inside her body. Even if it killed her, she'd make it through this if only to talk to the captain once more.

Meanwhile, Jornst and Captain Renolt had made it back to the ship. Several crewmembers were busy running the ship's day-to-day operations. Captain Renolt sat down in his chair and though his face was turned up to Jornst, the air of arrogance radiated from him like the sun's hot embrace.

"Lieutenant, if you weren't so damn good at what you do, I would have marooned you years ago."

"It will not happen again."

Captain Renolt turned his gaze to the busy crew. Jornst continued to stand by the captain's side.

"How long until the Enterprise arrives?"

A big, burly Romulan at the communications station looked up. "Scans of the ship before it left indicated significant shield and operating system damage. It should be another couple of days before they're up and running again."

Captain Renolt leaned back in his chair, pulling his prized spear close to him. He'd brought the weapon into battle ever since his soldier days before he lost all hope in the empire. Joining the ranks of the smugglers was much more his style. Freelance work often allowed for some creative projects. This current project for instance had cost him sixty of his best men and twenty years of work. However, Renolt knew it would be worth it in the end. He would go down in the history books as a being feared by even the Federation.

He smiled, knowing his ace in the hole would make his dream a reality.

************************************************************************

"What do you mean a couple of days?" Captain Kirk was damn near close to losing his temper. First, Bones was still missing. Then, Scott still showed no signs of improvement. Now…of all things, his ship was badly damaged.

"You all are the best engineers out there, and you're telling me the Enterprise will be grounded for two days."

"We're doing the best we can."

"Best you can my…"

Spock placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps, Captain, we should go talk to the admiral and let these men get to work. The longer we talk to them, the longer the repairs will take."

Though Kirk couldn't argue the logic there, of course with Spock a logic fight can never be won, he didn't like it one bit. Bones was still missing. To give the order to leave was weighing heavy on him. Captain Renolt was not known for mercy when interrogating his prisoners. Kirk knew Bones would not talk. Except, that was the problem. Unless absolutely forced to, Captain Renolt had no problem dispensing with loose ends. Even if Bones didn't talk, he was still in danger. As captain, it was his responsibility to keep his crew out of danger.

Kirk walked from the hanger with Spock by his side. In silence, Kirk kept mostly to his thoughts. Spock didn't mind, knowing that Kirk did his best thinking without any distractions.

Admiral Stanner was an aging man who was often prone to daydreaming about the glory days of captaining his own ship. His graying hair was plentiful and accented his golden brown eyes hidden beneath plenty of laughter wrinkles.

It was therefore no surprise when Kirk and Spock entered that Admiral Stanner stood, greeting them with a smile and an outstretched hand. Kirk, still frowning, took and shook the admiral's hand. Spock followed suit.

"Ah yes, Captain Kirk. Captain of the Enterprise, right?"

"Yes, sir."

Stanner brought the picture of the ship to his mind. "A beautiful vessel, she is."

"Admiral we were attacked by three romulan smuggler vessels. We believe they belong to Captain Renolt."

Admiral Stanner nodded. "We've been tracking him for years. Your previous encounter sent him into hiding. This is the first sighting we've had in weeks."

"Yes, well. We believe they're hiding out on Xelan III. We were just there when their ships came out of nowhere. I think there might be an insider feeding information to them."

Admiral Stanner lost the smile on his lips. "How so?"

Spock was the one to answer. "Those ships knew exactly where to hit the Enterprise. Only people with high security clearance could know that information."

Admiral Stanner unclasped his hands, hitting a button on his desk. "Admiral Stanner here. Ursula, get me a copy of the Renolt case files." He leaned back in his chair. "Now, captain. All I can do is give you everything we have on the case. I'll send a report up to my superiors about a possible infiltration. As for transportation and support, we unfortunately have no ships to spare. You'll just have to wait until your ship can be repaired. Meanwhile, we can offer you some accommodations until your ship is repaired."

Kirk kept his mouth shut. He knew it was pointless to argue. Still the longing to search out those smugglers and pummel Renolt to a bloody pulp was strong and growing. He instead took a page from Spock, biting back the violent urges stirring within him.

Minutes later Spock and Kirk were in one of the rooms temporarily assigned to the Enterprise crew. Spock was sitting, watching the captain pace with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you enjoy wearing yourself out, captain?"

Kirk massaged his temples with one hand with the other pressed into a tight fist against his back. "I've been captain for a few months and look where it's gotten us. Wait until command hears about this."

"While it is true that the situation is undesirable," Spock paused upon noticing the huff Kirk gave. "Humans are far less than perfect. Mistakes happen, but what you do to recover is what matters more."

"How very…logical."

"Thank you, Captain."

Kirk grabbed a file from the box Admiral Stanner's assistant had delivered a few minutes ago. Flipping it open, he sighed and realized the contents weren't helpful at all. He got through three more duds before giving up on the box altogether. He resigned himself to a chair opposite Spock, placing his face in his hands.

Spock was just about to speak when Kirk's communicator beeped incessantly.

"Uhura to Kirk." There was a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Kirk here."

"Your presence is requested on the bridge of the Enterprise."

Kirk looked at Spock who might have been just as confused as he was had the Vulcan actually decided to show it. With a shrug of his shoulders, Kirk stood and led the way back to the hanger where the Enterprise was among many of the ships being worked on. Throngs of people moved this way and that way, carrying a variety of items to carry out their chores. Without really paying attention, Kirk and Spock pushed their way to the Enterprise.

On the bridge, Uhura hands refused to stay still. Once communications had come back up, the database had registered a transmission coming from Xelan III's surface. At first, Uhura refused to believe her own translating abilities.

The soft whoosh of the bridge doors caused her to turn to a very annoyed looking Kirk and an indifferent Spock.

She threw her hands up in defense. "It's good news and bad news, Captain."

Kirk sighed and regained some of the boyish charm naturally present in his demeanor. Spock nodded for Uhura to continue.

"Well, sir, we just received a transmission from Renolt's vessel. Captain, Bones is alive."

Kirk looked noticeably more relaxed. Uhura didn't relax, a fact not lost to Kirk.

"What's the bad news? Was he captured?"

"Not exactly."

Spock went to stand by Uhura, silently giving her support. "Why don't you play the transmission."

Uhura nodded, pressing a couple of buttons. The viewing screen was filled with static and then the face of a hooded romulan. Kirk immediately recognized the smug air the bastard Captain Renolt gave off.

He opened his mouth, smiling with that crooked and taunting smile he last gave them.

"Hello, Captain Kirk. Nice of you to drop by. I would apologize about the ship but she really isn't all that great if she can't get past a bunch of smugglers."

Kirk shuddered slightly from the sheer amusement in Renolt's voice. How dare he talk about the Enterprise like that.

"Anyway. I'd thought you'd like to know the status of your two missing crewmembers." Captain Renolt gestured to his right. All the blood drained from Kirk's face when he saw Nurse Naya tied to an examination table. Her eyes were closed but the rapid expansion and collapse of her chest made him very aware that she was alive and aware of her situation.

"She is a very attractive specimen, and my men are very lonely. They are just itching to learn more about the human female's anatomy." The image switched to a tray full of rusty tools used centuries ago during old surgical procedures.

"As for Doctor McCoy, he's alive…for now." Renolt turned around to walk away. The transmission was about to fade out when Renolt turned back with that same taunting smile on his face.

"Here's the deal. In your last captain's briefing, Kirk, you received news on a new energy planet called Ichliesben VII. Get the coordinates and send them down to where we last met. Have your lovely communications officer, Uhura, approach the planet in a shuttle to deliver them. You have my word that upon delivery, you may search out Dr. McCoy and return to your ship. I'll be keeping Nurse Naya and Uhura as…insurance that you play nice and don't follow. Don't worry, once we get what we want, both women will be returned. However should you try to follow us or if there be any interference with the trade or our excavations on Ichliesben VII, you'll have to beam back your crew piece by piece."

Captain Renolt's laughter echoed in Jim Kirk's head long after the transmission ended. Spock, sometime during Renolt's ramblings, had placed a protective arm around Uhura. Though she tried to hold back, Kirk could see the tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks. All three remained silent for a few moments before Uhura cleared her throat.

"I'll go, Captain."

"Nonsense. He'll only kill you."

Uhura stood to meet the captain point for point. "Marie is my friend. If I go in with her, I'll help her survive. I can also use my position for reverse interrogation."

Reverse interrogation. Kirk knew the technique well. An operative was sent in for capture and used the questions the enemy asked to figure out what their plans were. It was dangerous and many had died before they could get the information back.

Spock tightened his jaw. "Such a technique is dangerous and illogical." He had to take a slow breath in before managing the next couple of words. "You could get killed."

"I know. Even if Renolt doesn't keep his word, you both know his weakness for women. He won't kill me; he'll keep me around as long as I'm useful. He always has a need for women."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting…"

"It will keep me alive, Spock. Besides, I know smuggler's ships like the back of my hand. We've already lost too many good men and women, sir. I won't stand by and watch more of my friends be hurt when I can do something about it."

"This ship needs you."

"No, Captain, this ship needs Doctor McCoy. If we get into another tangle without him, and more doctors get killed, the Enterprise will be in some real trouble. Only he can get Scotty out of that coma; you know that."

Kirk sighed heavily. "Alright…but if you don't report back within twenty-four hours, I'll assume the worst and Spock and I will come in after for you. Report to medical and see what kind of help they can give your body. Find a worthy communications officer and brief him or her on their new temporary promotion."

Uhura nodded before bounding off to the Medical Bay.

Kirk turned to see that Spock's eyes betrayed the stone-faced expression he wore. "Captain," he muttered. "This plan is not logical."

Kirk smiled but it was a sad smile. "Rescue missions hardly are, Spock."

Spock hardly noticed when Kirk clapped a hand on his back. "Spock, follow me. We need to find Mr. Sulu and Chekov."

"Why, Captain?"

"You honestly didn't think I'd be letting Uhura go in alone, did you?"